Game of the Year is about confidence, craft, and joy, and Donkey Kong Bananza fires on all three. Nintendo takes a character long associated with side-scrolling and spins him into a bold 3D platformer built around destruction, movement, and playful experimentation. Every system feeds into the next, turning exploration into constant motion and discovery. The result feels intentional, generous, and packed with respect for Donkey Kong’s history while still pushing the series forward. Donkey Kong Bananza is one of the best games Nintendo has made in years, earning it MonsterVine’s Game of the Year for 2025.
2025 Game of the Year – Donkey Kong Bananza
Spencer: As a fellow who was born and raised on Donkey Kong, from the Donkey Kong Country games to the delightfully bizarre 3D-animated television show, I was more than ready for Donkey Kong Bananza. Being able to destroy everything on the map in a number of explosive and creative ways made every moment between challenges and boss fights a blast, and I loved the deep reverence present for the franchise and its many entries. Bonanza is a spectacularly ambitious game that lives up to its every promise, and if the rest of the Switch 2’s exclusives are able to approach Bananza’s level of quality, we’re in for quite the excellent console generation.
Diego: DK finally gets the game he deserves. Donkey Kong Bonanza is an absolute dream of a DK game that I never would have expected Nintendo would make. A Mario Odyssey treatment for Donkey Kong in fully destructible worlds where you explore for bananas, AND there’s a dedicated chest thump button? Brilliant. Every aspect of this game from the visuals, to the music and game design is so well thought out with love for the character, it honestly puts a lot of flagship console games to shame. Nintendo managed to give a character that mostly had 2D sidescrollers and sports game appearances one of the best 3D platformers in years and made it look effortless.
James: Donkey Kong Bananza is a triumph in what makes Nintendo special as a game developer. Not only is it incredibly colorful and vibrant, full of incredible music, but the gameplay mechanics are incredible. The destruction is what makes Donkey Kong Bananza so special. It’s not just being able to flatten an entire level, or being able to bulldoze into any part of the environment I want to explore, but the way all of that loops together. Using chunks to surf around or chunk jump to higher point makes everything flow together in an experience that I was enraptured with from start to finish.
